Category Archives: Testimonial

When Reggie Wilson started practicing at Sterling Hot Yoga in August 2014, he was carrying old aches and pains from lingering injuries from his service in the 82nd Airborne Division.

But the 22 classes he took during his introductory month and the three times a week practice he maintained after that could have well saved his life, according to Reggie, his wife and his doctor.

On Feb. 1, 2015, Super Bowl Sunday, Reggie went to the hospital after feeling tightness in his chest. Several tests helped doctors determine he had a 100 percent blockage in one of his arteries, and he underwent triple bypass surgery.

After surgery, the doctor asked what he had been doing. Reggie told him, “Sterling Hot Yoga.” The doctor said there’s a good chance yoga saved his life because his heart developed alternate routes around the blockage. Plus the strength of his systems helped him through the surgery with relative ease!

He returned to Sterling Hot Yoga during his recovery with modifications in his practice, then after knee surgery and knee replacement surgery less than two years apart, he made the decision to come back.

“After having two knee surgeries, my health was starting to decline,” he said. “I noticed that I did not have too many health issues when I was practicing yoga consistently.”

Over the past five years of Reggie’s practice off and on at Sterling, he’s experienced changes in body composition and sleep patterns and found more inner peace and relaxation, and that’s what keeps him committed to showing up on his mat.

“Yoga is truly a connection between the mind and the body,” he said. “The health benefits associated with yoga is the main reason that keeps me coming back.”

With a consistent practice, Reggie said he was even amazed at what he experienced and most importantly by what he learned about himself. “One of the most surprising things I have learned about myself is that I am capable of doing 20 times more than what I think I can do,” he said.

Yoga was—and is still—hard work, and Reggie realized that as soon as his first class. He said he thought, “This is going to take English bulldog determination, Bengal tiger strength and the tenacity to see it through.”

Now, it’s easy for Reggie to realize the benefits of yoga, and that’s what he stresses to anyone thinking about trying hot yoga for the first time.

“Yoga is the best investment you can make for your health and fitness,” he said. “By practicing yoga consistently, the return on this investment is priceless.”

Everyone at Sterling Hot Yoga is happy to see Reggie back in the hot room! He still has to take modifications in postures due to his knee surgeries, but most importantly that regular practice helps him feel better and stronger!

For that Reggie is thankful for David and “his staff of trained professionals” for welcoming him back to the studio.

We’d love to welcome you too so you can experience the benefits of yoga for yourself! Sign up here for our $30 introductory special, and you can try all of our classes UNLIMITED for 30 days!

When Carlos and Monica Gonzalez relocated to Mobile from Colorado, they knew they would have to find a new yoga studio to call home.

With a combined 15 years of practice between them (12 for Monica; three for Carlos), the couple had practiced mostly vinyasa, some Bikram method and “one attempt at aerial,” according to Monica.

So when they found Sterling Hot Yoga & Wellness, they found a studio that offered the classes they loved—and more!

But even more important than what was on the schedule, the “good vibe” they felt at the studio kept them coming back.

After her first class, Monica said, “I was grateful for the opportunity to have found a great place to practice yoga in my new hometown, Mobile.”

The Gonzalezes moved her to be closer to their son, who is attending the University of South Alabama where he is studying accounting.

Monica was the first to seek out yoga, looking for a way to reduce work-related stress. But she found so much more.

“My inner being is more accepting and loving of me and everything around me,” she said. “My days that start with yoga practice are more productive and joyful.”

Carlos began his yoga practice as a way to share time with Monica, but he’s found that he’s gained more flexibility through a consistent practice.

“I can bend more than I thought I could,” he said, “and that feels awesome!”

Right away, they’ve had to adjust to the heat and humidity of Mobile—in and out of the hot room. After his first class, Carlos said he thought, “OMG!!! It is really hot, but I did it!”

The Gonzalezes have experienced so many benefits from their yoga practice, and they emphasized those in their encouragement for first-time students.

“It is an exercise that works well as a standalone practice,” Carlos said. “Contrary to what most people believe, yoga is a complete workout, but it can also complement any other physical training practice.”

Just as she has experienced in her own consistent practice, Monica noted the mental and emotional gifts yoga can offer.

“Yoga is essential to be centered, to be loving and to get in good shape,” she said. “More importantly, yoga practice is for all ages.”

Carlos and Monica have quickly become a part of the Sterling community, and we are so happy to have them. (When you see them at the studio, please help us welcome them to Mobile and to Sterling!)

“I really enjoy all the people there,” said Carlos. “From the yoga instructors to all practitioners, it is a pleasant environment to practice.”

Monica continued: “This place has a genuine good vibe. You find the owner that treats you like a friend, his dog, Yogi, that is adorable, the teachers are committed yet gentle in helping you to improve, and your classmates are in their own practice or helping you to adjust to the new place. Thank you for receiving us with open arms!”

We’d love to make you feel welcome at Sterling too! Click here to sign up now for our introductory special—$30 for 30 days of unlimited practice—and be a part of something special in Midtown Mobile!

After being diagnosed with a disease, how likely would you be to start researching local yoga studios?

But Mia Keller did just that. “I was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus,” she said. “I read up on the studio, as well as others, and Sterling was the one for me.”

Systemic lupus erythematosus—or simply lupus—is an autoimmune disease that is not curable, but can be managed. Caused by genetic or environmental factors, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in the body.

Lupus affects everyone differently, and symptoms, such as swollen joints, hair loss and fatigue, can range from mild to severe. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that yoga can help manage lupus symptoms, and some doctors even recommend it as part of treatment.

Specifically, the main areas yoga can benefit those with lupus are:

Improved flexibility and mobility

Improved physical energy

Stress management

Pain management

Improved mood and coping

Mia has found all of these (and more!) in the hot room at Sterling Hot Yoga & Wellness, where she has been practicing for three years off and on. Among the changes she’s experienced are: body transformation, strength, better sleep and less stress.

“I keep coming back because of the way it makes me feel inside and out,” she said. “I am stronger than I thought I was, and I can see my body changing.”

Mia is recently back to a regular practice at the studio after taking time to heal an ankle injury, but her dedication is still just as strong.

That wasn’t always the case. After her very first class, she said she was thinking to herself, “What the hell did I get myself into?”

Now it’s rare that a day goes by that Mia isn’t practicing or sharing her enthusiasm for the yoga and the studio with others.

“Sterling is a great place to practice,” she said. “They are very knowledgeable and experienced, and their teachers are awesome!”

Mia loves the fun, friendly community at Sterling and appreciates the cleanliness of the studio. And that just enhances her overall experience.

“I love my yoga practice,” she said. “I would not change it for the world. I feel strong after each class, inside and out!”

Mia understands that first-timers may be intimidated to try hot yoga or even try yoga at all. Her advice?

“You have everything to gain and nothing to lose,” she said. “It can really change your life.”

Ready to try yoga with Sterling? We have a great introductory special for new students! Sign up here to get 30 days of unlimited practice for just $30, and see how yoga could change your life too!

Phillip Ward, once an avid weightlifter and CrossFitter, was looking for something to soothe his low back pain when he found Sterling Hot Yoga Mobile.

“I was into weightlifting for about 10 years and began to practice CrossFit for a little over a year before I came to Sterling,” he said. “I started having discomfort in my lower back and thought that integrating yoga into my strength training routine would be a good way to relieve some of the physical pain.”

After just a few yoga sessions, Phillip said the pain went away. As he incorporated Iron Hour and Inferno Hot Pilates—some of Sterling’s popular strength-training classes—into his practice, he realized he found something special.

“I felt that I had found a routine that benefited the entire body—from head to toe, inside and out,” he said. “It wasn’t long before I cancelled my CrossFit membership and focused my time and energy in the hot room.”

Phillip has been a consistent practitioner at Sterling Hot Yoga Mobile for two years, and he took that dedication to the next level last year when he became a Hot Pilates teacher. Exercises in his classes are challenging, no doubt influenced by his strong fitness background.

Even as a student, Phillip has gained more from his practice than physical strength. “I feel stronger, physically and mentally,” he said. “I have more energy during the day (when I need it) and I sleep like a baby. My attitude is more positive, and I am a much more pleasant person to be around (especially in the mornings).”

The emphasis on the present moment in yoga or the concentration and focus in other classes have made an impact on Phillip’s mindset off the mat.

“Small things no longer bother me,” he said. “I approach larger obstacles in life with a clearer head and make much better decisions.”

A consistent practice, Phillip said, has led to him feeling “stronger, more confident and happier” in his everyday life, and he described those feelings as being “contagious.”

As a student and teacher, Phillip has diligently worked as an ambassador for Sterling, encouraging friends and family alike to attend classes and experience the positive benefits they hold.

After all, that’s how he got his start at Sterling in the first place. Thanks to one of his best friends who was a teacher at the studio, Phillip tried a class and has been practicing regularly ever since.

“When a class ends I am already looking forward to the next one. I find that I can hold a posture a little longer, I can balance a bit better, and I can breathe deeper into a pose with less effort in each class,” he said. “It just kind of clicks. I love it. It’s like a drug for me.”

Understanding that not everyone may take to the yoga practice like he did, Phillip did have some words of advice for new students. “Don’t give up after the first class,” he said. “To truly experience yoga, you may need stick with it for a while. You might find that it’s not your cup of tea, and that’s fine, but you’ll never know the benefits if you give up after one or two classes.”

Even if one class doesn’t resonate, Sterling has a variety of options, ranging from heated to unheated. Some classes are ideal for building strength; others are recommended for improving flexibility.

“Try to attend each one at least once to see if there is one class that suits you the best,” he said. “I find that each one offers a different experience, but they all fit together like pieces of a puzzle.”

To get started at Sterling, first-time students can take advantage of our $30-for-30-day introductory special. Sign up here to begin your yoga journey with us!

Naturally flexible after a childhood and adolescence dedicated to ballet, Anne Adams was drawn to yoga.

More than 20-plus years of vinyasa, power yoga, gentle flows, and prenatal, laughter and breath yoga helped her maintain her flexibility—just as yoga had done for her mother. “My mother does yoga,” Anne said, “and is very flexible at 70.”

Flexibility is one of the top reasons many seek out yoga, along with balance, strength, weight loss and stress reduction.

But more than the flexibility, yoga helped provide Anne the strength and calm to navigate one of the toughest challenges of her life: cancer.

“Yoga helped me prepare for and recover from a bilateral mastectomy,” she said. “I was very diligent in my attendance prior to surgery and recovery to help with my anxiety and to boost the health of my body as much as possible, and it worked.”

She credits her consistent practice for helping her feel strong despite the surgery that left drains in her torso for six weeks.

“My strength from yoga (and Iron Hour and Pilates) helped me to be able to do very basic things that, had I not been so fit, would have made recovery tougher,” she said. “I was able to recover quickly and feel strong again very quickly.”

Physical strength wasn’t all Anne got from yoga. It gave her peace in times of stress, worry or pain.

“I used my yoga breathing to calm myself during doctor’s appointments,” Anne said, “and to quell the anxiety of having cancer with a young child or to deal with pain.”

Still, yoga provided more. Through yoga, Anne also found a compassionate yoga community that enveloped her in love and support before surgery, during recovery and after she returned to her practice.

“The yogis at the studio supported me throughout my breast cancer journey. When I worked so hard in classes working through my anxiety and cried at the end of class in full exhaustion, they let me do it, were comforting to me and let me get it out,” Anne said.

“They set intentions for their classes to send me good vibes while I was out recovering. They sent me pictures of classes in which I was a regular,” she continued. “They were encouraging when I returned and couldn’t quite do everything I was used to being able to do.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, according to the American Cancer Society, and there is a 1 in 8 chance that a woman will develop the disease. Not surprisingly, others in Anne’s support group knew what she was facing.

“Unfortunately, some of them had also had cancer, and they had important advice they shared,” she said. “They gave me a lot of fight, courage and strength, while also giving me genuine empathy because they actually understood.”

Anne has since resumed her practice with a passion, but it was getting back to her routine and getting back to her yoga community that fueled her.

“I had never had such a fire to get back to something,” she said. “I believed that the richly oxygenated blood would heal my surgical wounds faster and more thoroughly, and I wanted to prove to myself that I would fight for my health and that I could still be strong after a cancer diagnosis.”

Anne has been a part of the Sterling Hot Yoga Mobile community for more than three years, thanks to repeated invites from her friend Shellene McLean. A back injury forced an exercise hiatus, but when she resumed, she accepted her friend’s invitation and decided to try hot yoga “because it was a way to see her,” Anne said.

“I came back because y’all say to come back within 24 hours. I kept coming back because of the feeling afterwards,” she said. “It was very different from anything else I had done. It’s very hard, but it leaves me with a great feeling.”

That feeling differs from student to student, and sometimes it’s hard to describe. It can refer to the physical, mental, emotional or energetic self. But at the heart of it all is an acceptance of and peace with the present moment.

“Yoga teaches me humility, consistency and patience. And I’m constantly having to learn them again and again,” Anne said. “It teaches me that every class isn’t going to be the same, my balance isn’t going to be the same, nor is my flexibility. Consistency helps, but I have to continuously learn to be patient with the limits of my body.”

Like it did for Anne, yoga holds a wealth of benefits, but you’ll never know what those may be for you until you show up on your mat. “I would encourage others to try yoga to complement their other forms of exercise,” she said, “because in turn they will find so much more.”

The thought of practicing yoga in a room heated to 105 degrees and regulated at 40 percent humidity can be an intimidating one for many people. But for Danny Miller, that was part of the intrigue.

“I was curious about ‘hot’ yoga, and I was looking for a challenge and a good sweat,” he said.

Now, six-and-a-half years later, Danny can safely say that hot yoga has become a way of life.

His journey into yoga began simply enough—he was looking for an exercise that was less stressful on his bones and joints. And in the hot room, he found it.

The sequence of 26 postures and two breathing exercises practiced in original hot yoga is meant to be as restorative as it is strengthening. The precise order of the postures in the heat offers multiple benefits, such as restoring range of motion to joints, healing chronic pain and relieving stress.

From a consistent practice, Danny has experienced improved flexibility, increased stamina, a stronger immune system, less inflammation and a better mental state. But that’s not the only thing that keeps him coming back to the hot room.

“The continued improvement in my flexibility and strength, and overall health,” he said. “And the new friends I’ve made along the way.”

Though he describes yoga as a “huge part” of his lifestyle, he said he still sees progress in his mental and physical toughness each year, and that’s been a pleasant, but surprising realization.

Danny remembers that the first class can be scary and intimidating, and, yes, it is really hot! But making the commitment to try can be the hardest, though most important part.

Beyond that, he did have some words of advice for the first-time student: “Just go in with no expectations,” he said,” and listen to your body.”

In Danny’s nearly seven years with Sterling Hot Yoga Mobile, he’s seen growth and transformation—from name changes to class offerings to ownership. But one fundamental thing has stayed the same.

“There’s an energetic atmosphere that everyone feeds off of,” he said, “allowing one to push further and to take their practice to the next level.”

Do you want to be a part of what Danny is talking about? Try our introductory special, just $30 for 30 days of unlimited practice, and you can experience what our yoga community has to offer!

Several years ago, James Willis took his first yoga class on the day after Thanksgiving with results for which he wasn’t so thankful. “It was so overwhelming to me that I was unable to get through the entire class,” he said.

He tried again the next year—on the day after Thanksgiving again—with similar results.

But James knew he needed to make a change. Deconditioning, past injuries and poor lifestyle choices were taking their toll.

“Over the years, I’ve had several lower back operations; experienced severe limitations from chronic pain elements (rheumatoid and osteoarthritis), and had bilateral knee problems from years of running and playing league tennis,” he said.

“I also ruptured my left Achilles tendon in 2005. These factors, unfortunately, contributed to a low phase in my life that I believed would be permanent.”

Rather than giving up, James changed his mindset. But he admits it was a struggle between his inner critic and his determination, especially during the first two to three months of the regular practice he began in June 2016.

And then there was the heat. “The heat only intensified my struggle until I ultimately learned how to soothe the intensity of my emotional responses,” he said.

Ultimately, his determination was stronger than self-criticism. “I had reached a point where I realized I needed to adopt a different mindset and consider a healthier approach (with reasonable goals) to living,” he said. “I decided to take control of my circumstances and improve my quality of life.”

Since then, James has maintained his practice, incorporating hot 26/2, hot hatha, yin and restorative yoga styles into his routine.

“Because of the benefits of yoga, I started modifying my diet and levels of nutrition to accommodate my regular yoga schedule which directly led to a reduction in weight within the first year of 53-plus pounds,” he said.

James credits yoga for being “a life-changing experience” personally and professionally. His successes led him to incorporate yoga into his practice as a mental health professional with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“I am working to gain credentials for teaching a broad spectrum of trauma-sensitive yoga techniques to some of our military service members and veterans,” he said.

At Sterling, James said he has found a “wonderful sense of community and support” with a schedule that offers options to help maintain a consistent practice and a location that’s convenient to his office and home.

But it’s the sense of health and fulfillment on the physical, psychological and spiritual levels that keeps him coming back.

He’s grateful for overcoming his initial struggles, so he has some words of advice for new students or anyone considering trying yoga for the first time.

“If you care enough about yourself, commit to practicing three months of consistent yoga,” he said. “The benefits of yoga will eventually consume your life, for the better.”

While James cautions that it won’t be easy initially, the struggles, the challenges hold valuable lessons.

“Expect a war between your mind and body as you establish a new direction in your life course,” he said. “Embrace the benefits of each class; refrain from making any judgments, comparisons, or setting any expectations for yourself; and honor where you are at each moment.”

What does yoga have in store for you? You’ll never know unless you try! Get started with our introductory special—$30 for 30 days of UNLIMITED practice—and experience how yoga can change your body, your mind and your life!

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STERLING HOT YOGA, INC.

Sterling Hot Yoga, Inc. is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. It is an independently owned and operated corporation that provides training, marketing and strategy to Sterling studios. Each Sterling Hot Yoga studio is an independently owned corporation. If you are interested in owning your own Foundry for Change, contact us!